You should use some rubber padding with your solar brackets. Those rigid panels may develop some micro cracks when they are under constant stretching forces.

Forget about the specs or power. It is the BEST looking roof solar I've ever seen on an suv! Nicely done

Inserting Rubber Neoprene Washers should also Help with Off Roading Vibrations and Wind Gusts generated at Highway Speed.

I’ve been planning a build that will allow me to work remote from anywhere with my GX 460 and th biggest hurdle for me to tackle was power. This series has been a HUGE help in me learning and planning my build for what I need. Thank you so much!

I upgraded my alternator to a mechman 250ish amp output. I used a step up converter to step up the voltage coming off my battery to 58v and have it going directly to my Bluetti. With that, I charge my AC200MAX at almost 900w while I'm driving. Its an awesome setup and I dont need solar. It charges up pretty quickly

I have 400w of solar on my pickup. Mounted on a roof rack I made for my single cab longbox (8ft) F150. I mounted 4 panels 3 years ago and they are still going strong! They are wired to 4 battle born batteries. I built a stealthy truck bed camper set up in the back. The whole setup consists of electric heat, ac, induction stovetop, lights, tv, starlink, fridge, and a kettle. The setup has run great since installed! I went overkill and it paid off. I do like the single panel idea for simplicity in the future.

Flying stones- rocks kicked up from vehicles in front. Great video and look forward to more information on how it holds up overtime.

I'd like to see your electric camp setup and appliances!

I have a 2007 Chevrolet Uplander and I have a 230 watt solar module bolted to the roof. It has been on the van for four years now. I installed it because it was easier than replacing the alternator. My alternator is burned out and it’s in a very difficult location. I also have 6 kilowatt hours of lithium batteries connected to a DC to DC converter and then it is in parallel with the 12 V battery which is being supplied 14 V I also have a 1200 watt sine wave inverter and a 2000 W sine wave inverter that powers any equipment that I need to run. I have a remote property and I can easily parallel more solar panels two more charge controllers. I’m a very much impressed with how well the system works . I supported my panel with three wooden ribs with silicone to hold them in place to negate the vibration. I’m glad to see that you’re pretty smart guy. Cheers.

I don't know if you do requests, but your video reminded me of something I have been curious about for a while. Can you make a video addressing Load Capacity. Myths, facts, and how all these overlanding rigs have full armor, racks, tents, and bumpers, but we never hear about them being a thousands pounds over capacity?

I have 500w of solar panels on my van. Its game changing to be able to have starlink, fridge/freezer, lights, music, laptops all running with basically no battery drain. My battery is topped up during the day and used in the evening.

Absolutely awesome !!! You are the living embodiment of "Work smart" !!! I rarely enable the bell notification but for your channel I will !!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge !!!

Excellent presentation and installation. I installed 2 x 169W thin film CIGS flex panels on my RAM 2500 rooftop and bed cap to charge my Ecoflow setup (Delta Max with 2 Extra Batteries). Although one panel experienced delamination and had to be replaced (under warranty), I still prefer the lower weight and negligible wind resistance of the thin panels vs glass.

What the heck that solar panel is over priced my man. Way better options available at a fraction of the price. List out other options so people don't get ripped off

perfect timing on this video as i just installed a dual battery system in my 4r today with a redarc bcdc. i will definitely be using that discount code. thanks for your effort to provide real life data in your videos. you continue to put of some of the highest level toyota edits on the tube. for anyone else reading this his shift knobs are the best on the market. most are just generic rebranded blobs.

We bought a bougRV fridge for a road trip and it’s been holding up great (1 year later). I am using it upstairs as a personal fridge. Great video!

I’ve been rolling with a 100w on top for months. Keeps the bouge rv cooler working 24/7 :)

Fill the roof up would be my advice for solar. I put 800w on my RV roof and the panel cost was 5% of my total system install (lithium, inverters, etc.). I think the mounting hardware cost as much as the panels. I also like that you have more wattage than almost every sprinter van I've seen.

I am running an off-road trailer with Echoflow batteries and 4-100 watt Zamp solar panels. I installed a DC to AC 1000w inverter to charge 600w (upgraded HO alternator) with my solar and it works great. I wanted to thank you for the video you did testing your EF with a DC/AC inverter. Without seeing that, I would not have been able to achieve the charging times I am getting.

Top tier content here. Thanks for sharing, this really opens doors for the rest of us.

Roof-top tier video as always. Thanks Kai.

I've had a450w panel on my roof for a year now. Works great with the caravan with a matching panel and mppt charge control large enough to take both into 280Ah of lithium

I put 4 B-RV 9BB 100watt on top of my GX470. 2 X 2 in series then parallel. The main goal is to run an A/C on hot days for the dogs. It currently goes to a Bluetti AC200Max and an Ecoflow Wave2. I have a foldable panel to add on those extra draining days. And... I run a trickle charger to the car battery to be sure the beast starts when its time to head out. The GX470 does some constant discharging when the key is in the ignition and any doors open, so it provides a margin of safety.

Currently popping 4 405W rigid Q-Cell panels on my van. They were like two hundred and 40 bucks new from A1 Solar. Had 8 on a bus I built out 2 years ago, produced about 22kWhs a day. Panels are half the price today then they were when I built my bus a couple years back. It's an exciting and affordable time to considering vehicle solar :)

Love it. Excellent video, like always. Thank you.

I’m surprised you haven’t talked about the ecoflow alternator charger yet! 800w charging while driving, with the type of camping I do, moving spot to spot. I’ll probably never need panels!😍🥰

best videos to watch during lunch break!

Great video. I have a solar panel on my RAV4 for camping and love it. I do want to upgrade to a larger output panel that maximizes my power like you wanted. In any case, it is great to make power while my vehicle is sitting at the trailhead and I am off having fun. Thanks for sharing this.

Great video as always! The point about maximizing the size of the panel depending on your needs, because you will always only get a % of ANY panel you have installed, is a good one, I think a lot of people are disappointed in solar performance because they fail to take that into account. Just FYI - I just checked out BougeRV and it looks like the discount code you mention just works for CIGS or the solid panels you mention, not the cheaper Arch flexible fiberglass panel. Not complaining, just to let you know.

Nice video. Similar situation with 2x225W on a LC79 in Australia and my concern are vibrations on unsealed roads hundreds km long.

I have a 400-watt setup on my ZR2 Colorado. It runs through a solar charger controller and an AGM battery. When I go camping or "overlanding," I hook up a 1,500-watt inverter, and that powers everything I need. The main thing I use it for is to keep my dual zone fridge running 24/7 because I used to run out of juice on a portable power pack I had. I installed the panels on some adjustable 90-degree brackets in case I need to aim them at the sun as the sun moves while I'm stationary. I'm not big on RTT's due to the weight, so like you, solar was the best option for the rack in terms of handling and weight. I use a quick setup/tear down tent (Gazelle t4) to sleep in, and it's just as versatile as a RTT.

Outstanding video , seriously really enjoyed it keep killing it man

great vid, as usual. I went with the BougeRV cigs for our RTT (haven't installed them yet - still laying out in the shop waiting on me.)

Thank you, good information for my future plans.

Ingenious....gave me some ideas for my truck.

I’ve thought of doing this to a crv gen 2 and realized it won’t always be sunny but think about it if it’s not sunny it’s windy. I’ve thought of installing a pole holder and when I’m camping I set up a wind turbine to get power from wind

We run 700w of panels and 12v 400ah of diy battery system on our F250. Similar all electric camping but with a Starlink HP also mounted and we often cook for 8-12 people. The past year was the prototype for 2024. Key things we learned. 1) Plan for a longer cycle than 24 hours due to solar obstruction. Our new window is 7 days. 2) Only plan to use 20-80% range of the batteries. We spent way too many hours slowly topping off the top 10% of the batteries during good solar hours. 3) Alternators die more quickly when charging big batteries and use expensive fuel. Disable the alternator entirely so you can use it in the middle of nowhere when everything else breaks.

Love your channel as I’m building out my 2012 FJ TTSE!

Love the 1 sec clip from Aussie Arvos when showing a solar panel. Damn good channel.

Nice setup. I have two 100 watt Sunpower flexible solar panels and one 100 watt CIGS BougeRV panel on my Ford F-150. I am replacing the two 100 watt Sunpower flexible solar panels with 3 new 110 watt Sunpower flexible solar panels. I will have 430 watts of total power. I attached the Sunpower panels with heavy duty outdoor velcro. The CIGS panel already had tape on it. I have driven over 20,000 miles with the flexible solar panels on the cap of my truck. I am planning on getting an induction cooker like you use.

Love your videos!! Surprised I've never seen you in the Philly area.

I ran a 380w commercial grade panel on my Jeep for roughly 4 years. The panel was mounted to the factory roof rails. In my install case my panel cracked on the edge after 3 years of moderate off roading. Those 3 years were filled with a lot more flexy trails vs boulder based trails.

Another great video. Thanks 😊

It looks really good on top

Wow! Love your FJ man! 🥰

Very clean and very cool.

I’ve got an inspired overland rtt. It’s only 87 lbs and 4” tall. While it is a soft top, I’ve got a flexible cigs solar panel attached to it. The wedge style tent allows me to direct my panel towards the sun for optimal output. Works great and I’m in under 100 lbs on the roof. I’m running the same 1GRFE engine and average 16mpg.

This is great if your doing offroad and off grid travel. I might c9nsidered this setup in the future

I have been using CIGS panels daily for 4 years - ground deployed - roll up for storage - Very Rugged - Dependable - good output

Looks great and re-purposing of the roof structure to house the panels looks efficient. Not my priority now but would love to try something like this in the future.

I didn't realize you were that close to me, for some reason I thought you were out west. I have a bougerv folding panel and their fridge. So far I am liking them both.

It is how I charge my 56v golf cart. Took the plastic roof off and put a 350w panel I had laying around. I used a Genasun programmed charger.

That's a very nice panel. Greetings from Jamaica.

Well done Sir.

I have been running a full-size rigid panel on the roof of my 2001 Jeep XJ for three years now, mostly west of the Mississippi. No problems so far.

Beautiful setup! Subbed!

Nice 👍 it looks stealth ..

So, there are multiple rooftop tents with built in solar, such as the new jackery with 1000w of panel. So awesome for this type of use case

Love this setup

I have a 160 watt panel in the base of my roof cage and it runs my 80 litre upright fridge and simultaneously charges the 120 amp hour lithium battery even when it's cloudy... It was designed and built by me usung cheap components and It's been the only source of power for over a week with intermittent cloud and the battery only got down to 80%. Because it's supported by the cage I can put things on it and don't have to worry about the weight. It's been there for six years now without a problem. I also run a 20 amp DC-DC charger for when I'm cruising. The whole system workes amazingly. My advice KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid.

I'm in Texas. I jack my front end up on jackstands to get a better sun angle; if I'm going to be parked for a while. I average 321 watts.

I've had this set up for 2 years on my TrailBoss with camper

In my opinion you've overlooked a very simple solution which is a DCDC charger to supplement a smaller panel. Your roof weight reduction was wise however I would be very surprised if the rest of your accessories haven't resulted in the FJ being over its specified gross vehicle mass. Thanks for the content. Cheers

I have a Tacoma with 400w solar on OEM racks over the cab running into a SmartCap Evo and connected to a Bluetti EB240 200ah battery pack. I ran a 120v plug into my wheel well with a IP65 rated cover. I also run a Dometic CFX 55IM cooler and just about anything else I need. This all goes with my Thule RTT and 270 Awning.

I would recommend against microwaving foam food containers

Nice to see more PA adventurers!

I am going to ad 2 solar panels to my bed cover on my 2016 Ram 2500. I am making a bed cover that opens in the center and each side pivots to a straight up position and locks in place. Going to make it so those charge my 2 batteries and also run a small heater in the cab in winter. Some times it takes 30 or more minutes to chip the ice off the cab for a 30 minute drive. I hope when it is sunny enough it puts out enough heat to keep the cab from becoming a frozen over ice box, like it does now.

Hi, I came across your channel and this video in a search for Viration proof Mounting for rigid solar panels. I am based in India, and am now replacing my Fexible solar panel on my hikux overlander with a rigid panel, but my solar panel supplier isn't aware of anyone who has used this on an offroad vehicle. All use cases in India are static residential uses. I found your video exactly aligned with my own arrangement. My question is about the details of the mounting system, very specifically what products you used etc. Many thanks!

I've been getting ready to do similar.

I have been planning on doing this, but flush with the roof rack! :D

That's one of the coolest cars I've ever seen. Reminds me of robocop. 😎

Great idea. Please report as it works. The solar and electric setup overall. Would like to learn more about that

AWESOME.

I installed two 220 watt flexible panels on the roof of my semi. If you are out in the bush, or out in the field working, these panels can save your bacon. I had my alternator go out while working, and those panels kept my batteries charged up just enough to get the truck to the house.

As always great work and interesting and inspiring video. So you’re another one removing the rtt. I’m still researching the perfect rtt for me. But I don’t buy anything because my main concern is the vehicle handling, actually how much the rtt + 270 awning would impact he vehicle performance off-road. How much body roll I would have. Braking performance… Maybe you are interested on to make a video testing the same vehicle behavior with and without the rtt. No one has done it before.

Excellent content and your truck looks too good to off road. Here is a different scenario for those that camp in one spot for more than a day. In the summer it gets so hot we always try to park the vehicle in the shade of large trees. It can get way over 100 degrees during the summer so keeping the truck in the shade makes it much nicer. But that kills the concept of a hard mounted solar panel. The portable ones are a pain, are easier to steal and really don't put out decent power unless you constantly move them to follow the sun. For our needs we find that a quality Honda EU1000 watt generator works great while we are away from camp vehicle to charge the solar generator. It can be chained to the bumper, fills the battery bank very quickly and weighs less than your 400W solar panel with mounting backbone. Since it is so quiet, it can be run in the evening if maxing out the electrical demands or if the solar generator needs a quick top off before bed. Just another option to think about for those that stay at the destinations for more than a day.

Yooooo, the Aussie Arvos cameo at the beggining. Game recognises game

Better choices out there for 4x4 vehicles. Just as an example deck mounted boat panels have been available for years, 3mm thick and flexiable enough to be RTV/glued onto existing curved roofs without introducing a gap.... rugged enough to walk on daily without adding to the height of the vehicle. Personal experience of these, whilst you dont get the most watt/m2 they are very durable and slim fitting enough they are not noticed [no one ever asked if I had a roof rack at-least]. I have broken one panel, but that was caused by hitting a branch hard enough that it also severely damaged the body panel on the vehicle.

This freaking cool

I would LOVE to see how the dual-source charging is wired!!!

good link. my first gen 400 watt panels are close to 100 lbs. each ,,, induction cooktop is the best... electric blanket. yes...

I have a goal zero 3000x with the alternator charging kit and i feel like i dont even need solar anymore. but i did set up one 100w solar that cancels the power of my fridge and wifi router during the day. and ive never gone under 20% assuming im driving at least once a week and the weather is always sunny. whn my alternator gives out i might upgrade to a high output alternator. i also considering covering my whole roof rack with solar panels. i sleep inside my gx470 anyways and creates atiny bit of insulation from the sun.

I’m thinking of putting up 450 W panel on my pickup camper shell. 😝

bro you are living the American dream! keep it up you are an inspiration to asian community!

On my camper trailer's rooftop tent i got 3x200w shingle perc panels that are custom made to my specs.. with solar on roof it could be better if your voltage was high.. like my 300w portable panels are 70v which normal solar portable are around 24v so in cloudy conditions a 24v will get maybe down to 13v which the wattage would drop to around that 20w off a 400w panel.. but with a high voltage at 70v it will drop to around 45v-50v so when I been camping with the 300w in full cloudy conditions I still get 180-190w.. The 3x200w in series will be 120v so even on a flat surface it should still get really good output at that high voltages.. I plan to make a custom made portable 800w 190v solar also

Once you go electric you cannot go back 😂. Love the explanation of the thought process behind the mod!

Thinking to do the same setup on my fusion, but I will use the flexible panel with doublesided tape instead. Imho, its a no brainer.

Look out for those falling stones my friend! Your electrical setup is pretty unique man! I’ve considered switching to electric kettles but I have trust issues for some reason, which is totally unwarranted. The microwave is taking it next level though!

I learned the same things on a miniature scale when I went bikepacking with a 5w solar panel lol.

you can add 100watts more to the hood w the Cascadia hood kit.

I like how you think. I am surprised you did not consider installing a 400W bi-facial solar panel to maximize solar input. I do a lot of beach camping and have the bi-facial 220W from ecoflow. Even in the late day sun I still get about 235 to 265 watts. With your white roof I am sure you would increase your percentage of solar input. Have a great day.

Dude I like your car❤❤

Always love your insights am thinking of adding something similar to my 4R - would you mind sharing where you got the portable awning at 2:30 into the video?

i also have a 350w house solar pannel on my toyotas rack i had it for 3 years now.. i also solved the problem of putting things on the rack by putting two wood 2x4 on the front and back to take my kayak on the roof on top of the pannel and have it connected directly to my car battery.. keeps my battery always charged when im not using my truck..

If you ever tried their Yuma series CIGS, you will never go back to standard solar panels, yes it is expensive but it is so efficient. Their 200w can max out at 172-175w in optimum condition plus if you have a shade in a small area it does not degrade entire panel.

The biggest concern I can see is chassis flex torquing the solar panel forming micro cracks. Id recommend using a rubber bushing in-between the mounts for the panel to absorb any vibration and slight flexing motions; should greatly extend the lifespan and avoid microcracks.

Love your videos! I am in the process of setting my own solar system. I will copy your idea, if you do not mind. Could you share the part you use to bolt the panel on the roof? Thanks!!

You should use a roop wind fairing to reduce wind noise and aerodynamic drag.

This video is a great analysis. I love your content, the quality is unmatched. If you had 4x 100-Watt panels in parallel instead of the one 400-Watt wouldn't it generate more electricity for your specific use case? I thought that if any part of a solar panel is in the shade the output of the panel is drastically reduced so if you have more, smaller panels, running in parallel you will generate more electricity under shady circumstances like overlanding through a forest or driving along a highway with some trees. I could be totally wrong about that which is why I am asking haha.

Did it effect mpg? Great video as usual!